Min­is­ter of Cul­ture and Com­mu­ni­ty De­vel­op­ment Michelle Ben­jamin has de­fend­ed the de­ci­sion to cut fund­ing for San Fer­nan­do Car­ni­val 2026, say­ing the Min­istry and the Na­tion­al Car­ni­val Com­mis­sion (NCC) re­mains ready to sup­port the fes­ti­val.

Speak­ing at a press con­fer­ence at UNC head­quar­ters to­day, Ben­jamin said pub­lic state­ments by San Fer­nan­do May­or Robert Par­ris about scal­ing back Car­ni­val ac­tiv­i­ties had con­tributed to con­fu­sion about fund­ing.

“I re­call an ar­ti­cle, I think this Jan­u­ary 22nd […] stat­ing that the May­or said that he’s not hav­ing a launch,” Ben­jamin said. “So, giv­en that the May­or would have said that in the pub­lic do­main, for him to now come and say that he does not have suf­fi­cient fund­ing, I don’t un­der­stand.”